Governor, Mayor Keller statement on Trump’s executive overreach in National Guard deployment in D.C.

SANTA FE – Today, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller issued the following joint statement:

Once again, President Trump is making unilateral decisions that appear politically motivated rather than focusing on building appropriate responses to public safety challenges and strengthening communities. His deployment of 800 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., without local request or coordination demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of effective public safety strategy. President Trump’s massive executive overreach in Washington sets a dangerous precedent and undermines safety in our nation’s capital.

Here in New Mexico, we are addressing public safety challenges by bringing local and state resources together to make our communities safer. This frees our trained police officers to focus on proactive, community-centered policing and combating the fentanyl crisis and rising violent juvenile crime, while our National Guard provides scene security, medical aid, and prisoner transport without weapons or law enforcement functions. At a time when we don’t have sufficient police officers anywhere in the country, including here in New Mexico, this collaborative approach creates the right kind of support system that enables local law enforcement to keep our communities safer and effectively address crime.

President Trump is attempting to use the National Guard as a city police force in a similar manner he used the military in California, which is about politics, not fighting crime. The contrast couldn’t be clearer: while President Trump uses the National Guard to trample local leadership, New Mexico brings together local and state governments to make our communities genuinely safer. As a result, we are maintaining momentum in reducing crime through the summer months. President Trump’s unilateral actions in Washington, D.C., do nothing to keep Americans safe, and show an alarming contempt for our laws and democratic norms.